1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to bone plates, and more particularly, to periprosthetic bone plates and methods for implanting the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Bone plates are commonly used to secure adjacent sections of a fractured bone together and to facilitate healing of the fractured bone. Such bone plates may be attached to the fractured bone using a plurality of bone screws. For example, a surgeon may position a bone plate to extend across a fracture line, and then the surgeon may secure the bone plate in place by inserting a plurality of bone screws through apertures in the bone plate and into the patient's bone. However, when fractures of the bone occur in areas adjacent to a prosthetic implant, such as a femoral stem, the prosthetic implant may block areas of the patient's bone intended for the bone screws.
Periprosthetic bone plates are available for stabilizing a fracture in an area adjacent to a prosthetic implant. Such bone plates may include offset apertures for guiding bone screws into the bone. However, known periprosthetic bone plates suffer from certain disadvantages. First, known periprosthetic bone plates may be configured to direct unicortical bone screws into areas of the bone adjacent to the prosthetic implant to avoid the prosthetic implant. Although unicortical bone screws may stop short of the prosthetic implant to avoid interfering with and/or damaging the prosthetic implant, unicortical screw anchorage is not as strong as cancellous or bicortical screw anchorage, for example. Also, to accomplish a sufficient offset, known periprosthetic bone plates may include flanges that protrude from the bone plate, with the offset apertures extending through these flanges. However, the flanges may catch onto and strip the patient's muscle tissue while the bone plate is being implanted.